Andalusia: white villages and the Alhambra

Route description

From Seville, with its cathedral and Real Alcázar, head southeast into the hills to Setenil de las Bodegas, a white village whose houses are built under huge rock overhangs. The streets are narrow and steep, so park at the edge of the village and walk in.

The A-374 continues to Ronda, where the Puente Nuevo, an 18th-century bridge, spans a gorge nearly 100 m deep in the middle of town. The municipal motorhome stopover lets you walk to the bridge and the viewpoints above the gorge at dusk.

From Ronda a winding mountain road descends to the coast, and the motorway then leads to Málaga, with its Alcazaba fortress, cathedral and seafront. The last leg climbs inland to Granada at the foot of the Sierra Nevada.

The Alhambra’s Moorish palaces and gardens sit above Granada; tickets sell out weeks ahead, especially for the Nasrid Palaces, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. The Parador de Granada, a state-run hotel in a former convent inside the Alhambra grounds, is worth a look even if you are not staying. Inland Andalusia is very hot in July and August, so spring and autumn are the best seasons.